Haiti pushes ahead with elections despite gang violence

Haiti has expanded voter registration as the government presses ahead with long-delayed elections despite worsening gang violence. While Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé says the state is fully mobilised, many voters fear insecurity could undermine the credibility of the ballot.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has reaffirmed the government's commitment to holding Haiti's long-awaited elections as voter registration enters its second week.

He said the government was working closely with the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), providing funding and logistical support to ensure the electoral process proceeds as planned.

"We support the CEP. We are providing it with funding, and the electoral law is ready. The entire government is mobilised to ensure the elections are held smoothly," the prime minister said.

Registration expands cautiously

The CEP has begun voter registration in parts of the West Department, including Pétion-Ville, Delmas and Tabarre, after delaying operations there because of security concerns.

Authorities said additional registration centres will be opened gradually as conditions permit, with each registration site also serving as a polling station.

Under the revised electoral calendar, Haitians are expected to vote in the first round of presidential and legislative elections, as well as a constitutional referendum, on December 13, with a second round scheduled for February 21, 2027.

Security fears persist

Despite progress in the registration campaign, many Haitians remain sceptical that elections can be held safely while armed gangs control large areas of the capital and surrounding communities.

Agronomist Jean Claude Fleurisaint, who registered to vote, said elections are essential for democracy but questioned whether they could take place under current conditions.

"We first need a climate of peace, and only then can we hold elections," he said.

Another voter, Brezil Vignon, said widespread insecurity had made daily life increasingly difficult and warned that any election must be conducted under the right conditions.

A decade without national elections

The planned vote is intended to end nearly a decade without national elections in Haiti.

However, electoral officials continue to stress that restoring security and securing adequate funding remain critical to organising a credible and inclusive nationwide poll, particularly in gang-controlled areas of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan region.